What do you do if Luau is rained out?

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

We have booked our first Luau & I'll be hoping for good weather but what would you suggest we do if it does get rained out? We'll be using 2 TS credits/person DDP but we're paying OOP our first night TS to "save up" for the luau. Thanks

 

[3prettyprincesses]

This happened to us on our first Disney trip. It literally rained ONLY during the Luau and cleared up afterward. So obviously they cancelled it. We ate at Kona Cafe instead and it was delicious! Maybe keep that restaurant in mind just in case. Good luck!

 

[MommyGina]

I would make an alternate dining reservation for later that particular night. That way if the show is rained out, you will at least be guaranteed of a place to eat.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

I would make an alternate dining reservation for later that particular night. That way if the show is rained out, you will at least be guaranteed of a place to eat.

Thank you for the idea - I guess if it looks like sunny weather then I can always call to cancel that morning. I think I'll book a second ADR for later in the week that won't break my heart to cancel but we'll have it just in case since I'm afraid we won't be able to get an ADR if we wait until we're there

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

Hey TwiddleD! I'm not just down the road from you. Actually down the road, around the corner over the creek in Marysville. I hope the weather works out for you, but I agree with PP, the Kona is right there at the Poly and the food is great. I don't think it ever occurred to me that we might get rained out. We going to see it for the second time in October. Guess I should think about an alternative huh.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

Hey TwiddleD! I'm not just down the road from you. Actually down the road, around the corner over the creek in Marysville. I hope the weather works out for you, but I agree with PP, the Kona is right there at the Poly and the food is great. I don't think it ever occurred to me that we might get rained out. We going to see it for the second time in October. Guess I should think about an alternative huh.

GO BUCKS!!!

I called WDW-dining and was able to book Ohana's later that night. So if the luau gets rained out, maybe wishes won't be & we'll be lucky enough to see it from Ohana's. Either way, we're going to have some polynesian fun that night

I had read somewhere a while back multiple same day ressies being cancelled by WDW so I called specifically about this. The CM said the only time he saw this happen was when ADR's were booked on top of one another under 90 minutes of each other (usually 10-30 minutes apart so it was obvious that you could not be at both places at once).

And we decided to book another TS for our last day which most likely we'll keep even if we have to pay OOP but at least now if the luau gets canceled, we won't be on our vacation not being able to take advantage of the 2 TS credits

 

[Hopefully]

I would make an alternate dining reservation for later that particular night. That way if the show is rained out, you will at least be guaranteed of a place to eat.

When you do this you are denying another family the opportunity to have a nice sit down meal. Especially since you have also booked 'OHana, a very sought after reservation.
This kind of attitude makes it very difficult for others and I think it is unfair. Sorry you are only thinking of yourselves.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

When you do this you are denying another family the opportunity to have a nice sit down meal. Especially since you have also booked 'OHana, a very sought after reservation.
This kind of attitude makes it very difficult for others and I think it is unfair. Sorry you are only thinking of yourselves.

Good grief are you kidding me You must think I'm the only person who has ever in the history of making dining reservations cancel while on their trip.

If people didn't book, cancel & rebook all the time nobody would have to worry about planning all their TS credits 4-6 months in advance when purchasing the DDP.

We are less than 2 months from our trip & I am concerned about losing 6 TS credits because we had only booked ONE ressie per day. I don't feel guilty at all that MY family will be able to sit down & eat that night at 8:40pm if the luau gets rained out at 5:15.

I do not intend to be a no-show, if the weather is nice, I absolutely will call O'Haua's to cancel. The CM I discussed this with said there was nothing wrong at all with this & due to the uncertain nature of the luau, a lot of guest do this very thing.

I did not know this so thank you very much OP's who suggested making the extra reservations incase of rain.

 

[JenSop]

When you do this you are denying another family the opportunity to have a nice sit down meal. Especially since you have also booked 'OHana, a very sought after reservation.
This kind of attitude makes it very difficult for others and I think it is unfair. Sorry you are only thinking of yourselves.

Ummm.... if it rains, they will also be out a meal reservation. What's the conflict here?

I'm actually really glad for this thread, as we are also doing the luau and didn't have a contingency plan. I think I'll actually talk to DH about it right now actually...

 

[LAS321]

We had booked the Luau during tropical depression Faye a couple of years ago. WDW actually cancelled the Luau on us late in the day. We had no back up plan and ended up at the 50's Primetime and had a horrible meal. It was truly a waste of a TS....had we thought sooner we definitely would have made an additional ADR. Though WDW cancelled on us, when the CM called no effort was made by Disney at all to find us a ressie that would have been comparable to the Luau.
For the person who thinks this is selfish and unfair...are you joking?? I hope your comments weren't serious. Some of us save and plan to have a once a year vacation that we want to be the best it can be. Wasting 6 TS credits because someone else might have wanted that particular reservation is just nuts...give us all a break with your pompous attitude.

 

[GalDisney]

It is very rare it will be cancelled.

 

[Goofy4]

It is very rare it will be cancelled.

I was thinking the same thing, since the event itself is indoors. Is there a way to get there without so much outdoor walking? It never ocurred to me to make a backup ADR.

I'm sure Disney overbooks a little on the ADRs, expecting noshows. That said, Ohana would set half empty if everyone at the Luau also booked Ohana.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

I was thinking the same thing, since the event itself is indoors. Is there a way to get there without so much outdoor walking? It never ocurred to me to make a backup ADR.

I'm sure Disney overbooks a little on the ADRs, expecting noshows. That said, Ohana would set half empty if everyone at the Luau also booked Ohana.

This will be our first luau but it is my understanding that the luau is all outdoors, but the stage & dining areas are under a tent covering. So like any of the outdoor nights shows, there is the possibility of it being canceled if there is bad weather. And from reading the OP remarks, disney was unable to offer them another place to dine when TS Faye ruined their plans.

But even if people (on the dining plan) that book the luau were to have backup LATER dining plans, the possibility of them all being at the same restaurant would be a bet I wouldn't put money on.

But I would bet that there are people who do not plan for disney, arrive & find they can't get an ADR for dinner but are tickled to end up with one because someone else had to cancel for whatever reason.

 

[tinkgurl]

We had this happen to us one year. We were lucky enough to get into the Grand Floridian Cafe, which was the 1900 PF characters while the 1900 PF area was getting refurbed. All we had to do was hop on the monorail and get off at the next stop! Since we had one other credit left, we booked an ADR at Trail's End Buffet at FW since we had never been there before. I recommend maybe having a back-up plan of two places that you want to eat to take place of the 2 TS credits if the Luau gets rained out. If you can't find anything for that night and are absolutely hungry, Capt.Cook's at the Poly is good, which is the CS place.

 

[Kudrah]

I think that having a backup ADR is a great idea and you can always cancel it early in the day if the weather is good and the forecast looks clear . Please don't let anyone guilt you out about making double reservations, people do it ALL the time, and if Disney had a problem with it, they would not allow you to do so through the Central booking system. I do think that it is only courteous to call the dining line and let them know you will not be using the reservation as soon as you make that decision, even if you do so from a cell phone in the park. I think it's bad karma to just be a no show. (Not that you would!)

Some may think you will be denying another family the opportunity for a sit down meal, I do not look at it that way at all....there are ALWAYS people who try to walk up without ADRs and perhaps your cancellation will allow some hungry family to enjoy an unexpected treat when they are able to get in as a walk up.

I personally feel it is always good to have a backup plan, even if they don't cancel it, the weather might still be crappy and windy and on the wet side and you guys might decide you're not as up for it as you thought, etc...just please cancel any extra ADRs as you go to allow those who call the same day or walk up the chance at your spot.

 

[TinkerKell-ey]

RE: "back-up reservations"...of course it seems reasonable to cover yourself in case of rain at the Luau...especially if it's true that they won't help you find a last minute alternative (which surprises me, I want to believe Disney is prepared for this). However (per nice long chat I had with Disney Dining yesterday), this is against "Disney policy" because of the very reasons Hopefully stated. She told me if you have a "double booking" Disney MAY cancel one of them. I asked what the definition of "double booking" was and she replied anytime two DINNER RSVPs or two BREAKFASTs, etc. are booked on the SAME DAY -- regardless of how far apart the times. I don't know if this happens often, but thought I'd pass on what I was told.

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

This is in contradiction to what another CM told me when I asked him the same question. He said that when reservations are made about 90 minutes apart and especially if a person tries to book within 10-20 minutes of each other & it is obvious you can't be in both places at the same time, that is where folks risk being canceled.

If we were paying OOP for the luau & it were canceled I'd be fine with a CS but having paid in advance for the DDP knowing if I don't have a contingency plan and could possibly lose 6 TS credits I am glad to have posed the question as it did not occur to me to make rain plans. Due to our revised plan we now have two more TS (not at the best times but still we have them) but we decided either way we're going to keep one & pay OOP for it so we will only have to cancel one the day of the show if it's rained out.

So thanks again to everyone for helping me think this through. I feel a lot better knowing we have a TS for each day, that is DH's favorite part of our vacation - the dining experiences - so yes, we end up spending a good 2-3 hours a day with the traveling to/from but we really enjoy the dining experiences.

 

[GetGlowing]

Since Luau is prepaid (right??), how long does it take the cash refunds to be processed if it does cancel?

 

[PrincessDreams2]

I was just about to ask the same question! We are booked for the Luau three weeks from now and I have already paid in full. We do not have the dining plan. If it is cancelled, will I get a refund????